MSNBC breaks silence, will allow Scarborough to speak at GOP event

4/9/14 9:59 PM EDT

UPDATE (10:55 p.m.): Within an hour of this post, New Hampshire's Cheshire County Republican Committee issued a press release noting that the event in question would no longer be a fundraiser, and that they would lower the price of tickets to $25, which would merely cover costs — thereby allowing MSNBC's Joe Scarborough to speak at the event without forcing MSNBC to change its policy. The post has been updated to reflect that change.

MSNBC will allow host Joe Scarborough to deliver the keynote address at what was originally slated to be a political fundraiser next month, even though it denied that privilege to host Ed Schultz earlier this year.

"Joe isn’t participating in a fundraiser. MSNBC hosts often participate in events where there is a nominal fee for registration or tickets that basically cover the cost of the event. There has been no change in policy," Lauren Skowronski, the network's vice president of media relations, wrote in an email late Wednesday night, bringing an end to nearly 36 hours in which the network did not respond to requests for comment.

The event, hosted by New Hampshire's Cheshire County Republican Committee, was originally slated as a fundraiser, with tickets ranging from $35 to $50 and all proceeds going to the committee. James Pindell, the veteran New Hampshire poilitical journalist, previously described the dinner to The Huffington Post as "a big annual fundraiser for the Cheshire County Republicans."

In the wake of this post, however, the committee issued a press release in which it stated that ticket prices would be lowered. The committee said that decision was made in order to allow more people to attend.

"In an effort to enable more to hear this important message, the Lincoln Day Dinner will be $25 per person and only cover the cost of the event," Kate Day, the Chairman of the Cheshire County GOP, wrote in the new press release, released late Wednesday night. "We will hold a fundraiser later in the year."

When Skowronski provided POLITICO with her statement on Wednesday, the committee had not announced any change to the event. MSNBC's decision to allow Scarborough to deliver the keynote — after forbidding Schultz from doing a similar event — thereby suggested a change in policy.

In February, MSNBC forced Schultz to cancel his keynote address at a fundraising dinner for the Broward County Democrats. Tickets for the dinner started at $150 and went directly to the Broward County Democrats. At the time, Skowronski said Schultz had not realized the event was a fundraiser when he agreed to deliver the keynote.

Scarborough's keynote address will take place at the Cheshire County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in May.

Scarborough previously appeared at New Hampshire's Northeast Republican Leadership Conference in March. At the time Skowronski said he was there as a "discussion moderator," but one attendee — Jazz Shaw, an editor at the conservative Hot Air website — noted that he delivered a "speech" that earned "a standing ovation." Republican New Hampshire state Rep. Joseph Sweeney said Scarborough "energized the crowd" and was hailed as "a rock star."

Tickets for that event ran from $50 to $199, with sponsorship options ranging from $500 to $10,000. All proceeds went to the New Hampshire Republicans.